HAWKS BEAT HOLLAND TO ADVANCE TO BRONZE SEMI-FINAL
EDMONTON, Alb. – No. 1 Humber's experience wore out the youth and energy of upstart Holland College in the CCAA Tournament bronze quarter-finals.
Ceejay Nofuente had a game-high 23 points as Humber ended Holland's two-year national medal run with a 78-66 win Friday afternoon.
The Hawks (22-1), the top seed in the tournament, will face perennial powerhouse No. 2 Montmorency (17-3) in the bronze semi-final game. Over the last six seasons, Montmorency has won four national championships.
Less than 24 hours after its first round upset, the Hawks were determined to come out strong against the ACAA Conference Champions. After the opening tip-off, Humber went on a quick 10-2 run, returning to its championship form. In her first season with Humber, Leticia Lopez opened the scoring for the Hawks, converting on two quick free throws. Coming off a season-low shooting performance, Humber shot eight of 14 (57.1 per cent) in the opening frame and led 22-14 after ten minutes of play.
Humber's lead continued to grow in the second quarter as the Hawks received 13 points from its talented second-unit. Within seconds of stepping on the floor, freshman Tristan Boyington hit a quick triple, while freshman Miea Campbell-Johnson scored four points and grabbed two rebounds in the quarter as Humber went in to half leading 42-26.
Holland (20-3) showed no signs of giving up in the second half as All-Canadian Jayla Verney and freshman Ty'Keia Beals helped the Hurricanes cut Humber's lead in half. After being held to 30.3 per cent shooting in the opening 20 minutes, the Hurricanes scored 22 third quarter points on eight of 14 shooting.
Despite its best efforts, Holland could not get closer than seven points as Humber continued to shoot well from the free throw line. With the Hurricanes fighting for its tournament life, the Hawks shot 10 of 13 from the charity strip in the fourth to close out the 78-66 victory.
Fifth-year senior Chioma Oriuwa continued her dominance on the glass and finished with a team-high eight rebounds in the win, while Stephanie Antwi filled the stat sheet finishing with eight points, three boards, one steal and a block.
Aleena Domingo, second all-time in scoring for Humber, finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and was named player of the game for the Hawks.
UP NEXT
| Game Info | Hawks vs. Montmorency |
| Date | Saturday, March 18 |
| Round | CCAA Bronze Semi-Final |
| Time | 10 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. ET |
| Venue | NAIT Gymnasium |
| Stream | WATCH LIVE |
The Hawks will meet second-seeded Nomades de Monmorency Saturday morning. These two teams have met three times this season with the Hawks earning a slight 2-1 edge. In January, Humber defeated Monmorency in overtime of the Dawson Winter Classic, 70-67. Ceejay Nofuente, Aleena Domingo, and Leticia Lopez all scored in double figures for Humber, finishing with 26, 15, and 11 points, respectively. Second-year forward Andrea Torres finished with a team-high 19 points for the Nomades in the loss.
